OER’s New Benthic Deepwater Animal Identification Guide
March 30, 2016
On March 22, the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research launched the new Benthic Deepwater Animal Identification Guide - a collection of in situ images created from video frame grabs taken from Deep Discoverer (D2) remotely operated vehicle (ROV) video.
This pilot version of the guide serves as a taxonomic reference of deepwater animals encountered during D2 ROV dives around the Hawaiian Archipelago and Johnston Atoll during the Hohonu Moana expedition in 2015. This guide is a pilot project intended to share some of the results of previous exploration work.
The guide is organized according to major taxa. Identifications were made with assistance from taxonomic experts who specialize in deepwater animals. Identifications will be updated on a periodic basis, as errors are detected and reported by taxonomists and others using the guide, or when taxonomic revisions are made to the various groups included here.
Taxonomic revisions are particularly common for deepwater animals, which are poorly known; therefore we expect routine updates to occur.
If you would like to provide input and recommendations as the developers evaluate how best to continue development of the guide as new images become available, please contact Christopher Kelley.